Working the polls

M volunteered to be a poll worker.  He had to go to a training class to learn all about the process.  He was assigned to be a roster judge - checking IDs and signing them in.  He also had to be a backup for the other jobs as well.  He knew he wasn't going to be able to vote on Election Day, so he went the Saturday before and stood in line for 4 hours to cast his vote.  So proud!!  On Sunday, he had to go to back to the polling place to do some roster judge practice.  He spent about an hour doing his training.  He was told he probably couldn't leave at any point during the day so we packed snacks and meals for him.  We thought he should be prepared to be there until midnight since the workers cannot leave until the Election Judge says they can leave.  

He got up at 4:45am on Election Day and headed for his polling place.  He got there and there was already a line waiting!  The day was a long day - many voters.  M said there weren't any problems that day.  By 6pm (an hour and a half before the 7:30 close time), the polling place had slowed to a crawl so he was pretty sure he wouldn't be there until midnight.  He was home by 9pm.   A long day that was worth it.  The outcome is irrelevant - he participated in the democratic process!  Way to go M!!!

My Election Day was much less eventful.  I waited in line for about half an hour and cast my ballot.  :-)

Getting the Vote Out

Our county's website has a section where you can get a sample ballot so you know what issues/people are going to be on your ballot BEFORE you get into the voting booth.   Check to see if your county has the same thing.  Ours is:  http://vote.franklincountyohio.gov

Once you have that information, you can go to the League of Women Voters to get the real answers on the candidates/issues - non-partisan answers.   The league asks all of the candidates the same questions and then compiles their answers.  They are a nonpartisan political membership organization that encourages informed, active participation of citizens in government.  

Happy voting!

A Day of Adventure in Hocking Hills

M and I wanted to go camping in Hocking Hills State Park.  It didn't work out that we could stay overnight so we decided to go down for the afternoon - after morning soccer - yes, hiking after already a good workout in the morning.  M made a very yummy cold shrimp and peanut sauce pasta dish for dinner that we loaded into the cooler.   We made sandwiches for lunch, packed fruit and granola bars for the day.  It was sunny so we took the convertible and enjoyed the drive.  I think I took a short little cat nap in the car - I guess I must have been tired.  

When we got to the park, we found a picnic table and ate our sandwiches for lunch.  There are trails both in the gorge and above the gorge to the various falls and Old Man's Cave.  We took the lower trail to Devil's Bathtub and up to the Upper Falls.  We climbed over rocks, up rock stairs, over fallen trees.  We then walked down the trails to Old Man's Cave and on to the Lower Falls.  The fall foliage was so pretty.  At some points, the leaves would fall and it sounded a bit like rain.  We went through a place where the water dripping through the rocks would echo off of the gorge walls - I think it was called something Echo.  We really enjoyed walking over the rocks and fallen trees in the gorge.  

We figured we would walk along the lower gorge to Cedar Falls and then take the higher trail as it got darker - I was a little afraid to be in the lower gorge when it got dark and had packed a few flashlights just in case.  Yes, always the safety girl.  We met another couple along the way that were wondering if they too would run out of sunlight in the lower gorge.  They had turned around and started heading back to Old man's Cave but I knew we were closer to Cedar Falls and the crossover point to the upper trail.  We told them our plan and they decided to walk with us.  We eventually made it to Cedar Falls, took some pictures and were pleased that we decided to stay in the lower gorge the whole way as it was definitely cool to see.  We climbed many many stairs to get to the higher trail and walked with our new friends.  We walked along and chatted.  We walked up a long hill, when we got to the top, there was a large clearing in the woods.  Rose Lake was breathtaking.   It was soooo beautiful and the afternoon sun made it a beautiful sight.  At this point we found out that our new friends had the same first names as we do!!  We shared cheese and crackers as we enjoyed the beautiful lake.  

It was windy all day and being in the clearing made it a little chilly.  We went back into the woods to continue along the trail.  We eventually made it back up to the Visitors Center.  We left our friends at the parking lot.  We sat in the car (with the heat on!) and ate the yummy shrimp/peanut pasta dish M made.  M said it was the perfect way to end the day.  Although it was cold, it was still sunny so we decided to try to make it home with the top down.  Well, we got too cold - and put the top up at a stop light - but we definitely enjoyed trying!

We have been so happy to be so active.  We know from Old Man's Cave to Cedar Falls is 3 miles one way so we figured going to the Upper Falls, then past Old Man's Cave down to Lower Falls an on to Cedar Falls - and back - we probably went about 8 miles.  We laugh at how much we like having adventures together and this was just another example of a great adventure!!

Waves and dolphins

We woke up on day one to the sound of ocean waves - our bedroom faces the ocean and we had the door to the porch open to enjoy the sound. After getting ready and having a bowl of cereal, we went out on the first floor porch. Imagine our delight when we saw dolphins swiming by!! This vacation thing is really great so far!!

My first soccer game

I was so proud of K when she started back playing soccer in the spring. I watched her games and they seemed to have a lot of fun so I decided to give it a go.

This Saturday I had my first game and I had a blast. It's much harder than I thought it would be but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to many more games.

Farmer's Market, Swimming, naked front door & Some Like It Hot

We got up early on Saturday morning to go to the Worthington Farmer's Market.  We really enjoy walking around and seeing all of the fresh produce and organic meats.  We ended up getting fresh blackberries and raspberries, zucchini, a basil plant, fresh raw milk cheddar cheese, purple tomatillos and some tomatoes.  When we asked the "tomato guy" for some info on the tomatoes, he explained that the ones we were purchasing were called "grandpa's tomatoes".  He explained that his wife's grandfather brought the seeds over from Italy when he came to the States.  I love the Farmer's Market!!   Oh yeah, and we shared a fresh key lime bar :-)

We dropped our wares off at home and then went to the gym to go swimming.  I don't usually pay much attention to how far we go but M figured out how many laps we needed to do to make a mile so we did it.  My arms were pretty tired when we were done but it was nice to finish a mile.

We took the front door apart and stripped the paint off of it.  When we switched the door handle, we were hoping to only have to sand a small spot on the door and paint it.  Our luck was that there were so many coats of paint and that one of the middle layers was goopy that it just wasn't going to work.  We spent the afternoon taking the paint off and sanding.  We put the door back on the hinges with no paint on it as it was time to go out.

One of the east suburbs (Gahanna) was showing "Some Like It Hot" in a local area park.  www.creeksidegahanna.com/index.html  We invited some friends (C&B) to go with us.  B agreed to bring white wine, hummus and pita crisps.  We brought red wine, homemade salsa (from the Farmer's Market tomatillos) and chips.  They got there first and called to tell us that it was in more of a brick plaza than a park.  We didn't have chairs so C went to the nearest Kroger and picked up four chairs - whew!  It was very cool - so great to watch the movie on the blow up movie screen.  Funny movie if you have never seen it.  What was even funnier is that in the building behind where we were watching the movie, the third floor was a reception hall with a lot of windows and we could tell it was a wedding reception.  We got to see the first dance, the father daughter dance, YMCA, and Hang On Sloopy (O-H-I-O).  It turns out that the plaza had an amazing fountain and a restaurant overlooking the fountain.  It is now on my list of restaurants that I want to try - if for nothing other than the atmosphere.  www.mezzoitalian.com

The long drive home

After a wonderful weekend in Boston/Martha's Vineyard/Sturbridge, we were very tired from what my cousin called "circuit training".  We walked ALL around Boston, biked around Martha's Vineyard, and swam, water skied, sailed & rode bikes in Sturbridge.  

Google Maps said 11 1/2 hours home.  We decided to stop for both lunch and dinner and although it made the trip longer, I am sure it made the trip less confining.  Thirteen hours later - it was not nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I took a short nap while M drove and he took a short nap while I drove.  We talked about how much fun we had on the trip and read some articles from "O" (Oprah) magazine.  The good news is that we survived the drive and are willing to do it again next year!

Look for more blogs with fun stories from the trip.

Retiring at 60

Well, after 9+ months, we have run off 60 pounds (about 30 each) wearing these old sneakers.  We decided it was time to get new ones.  Go team!

Special note: these were purchased to tread many miles around Italy.  Who knew just how far they would go!

Expired Medicine? Eh, it's still good.

When we were kids, the medicine cabinet at the beach house was always filled with really old medications.  Grampa and my Uncle were both doctors and we always  had some old looking bottles with old labels in there.  Anyone remember the red spray stuff that was some sort of bactine type thing?  Ooo, I hated that stuff!  It always stung and you had to blow on it to make it feel better.  Needless to say, the bottle was clearly NOT new.  What was the pink stuff that you put on poison ivy?  Caladryl?  I think they make that in a clear gel now... but we had the super old pink liquid version!  Needless to say this is one of the things I learned from my parents, "eh, it's still good."  When M moved in with me, I was convinced to change my way of thinking.  So I always smile when we have expired medication and M throws it out.   It reminds me of my parents and the old medicines they kept for ever.  It reminds me of the 500 count aspirins that my father used to buy - he always had aspirin.   I now laugh that M and I always buy the little bottles because they would expire before we would use them all anyway.  It makes me smile that something as little as throwing out expired acetaminophen brings back so many memories.

P.S. KEW - if you are reading this, it's for you.  Since you are one of the few people that I think actually read our blog, I want to keep it updated and interesting for you :-) 

1, 2, 3... Splash

When we were kids, my Dad and my Aunt used to swing us on a 3 count and then throw us into the pool.  They used to throw us sooo high!  We would line up - all seven of the cousins - and just keep getting in line until they got too tired to throw us anymore.  

This past weekend, we saw a new generation continue the tradition.  My brother and my cousin were swinging the kids, 1... 2... 3... splash.  It was so fun to watch and it brought back so many fun memories.   M took four picture of our "niece" and photoshopped them together to make one picture.  You get the idea of how the throwing goes.

Fresh Tomatoes - Yum

Last year we planted tomatoes in our garden and they just didn't produce like we were hoping they would.  We ended up in Italy on our honeymoon when it seemed the bulk of them were at their best but they didn't get any water while we were gone - thus, we didn't get to eat any of them.  This year, we are definitely luckier!  Our tomatoes are growing and we are able to use them!!  This past weekend, we drove to visit K's mom and picked a few tomatoes before we left.  We had a salad for dinner and used OUR tomatoes and Mom's fresh lettuce from her garden.  Yeah!  We have picked a few more since then and have been able to use them in salads.  I know we get pretty excited about our garden, but there is just something about using your own ingredients.  Between the two roma tomato plants in our yard, we have about 20 tomatoes ripening on the plants :-)  I am looking forward to more salads and maybe some fresh salsa!

Delicious (and dangerous)!

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Originally uploaded by somegoodgoing

Okay. Just a tip for all you foodies out there. Do not use a mandoline without the food guard. Preparation of this wonderful dish was interrupted by a trip to the urgent care because I was stupid enough to not use the food guard. :-(

When preparation was complete, we added some vegan "meat"-balls to the recipe, zucchini ribbons with raw tomato marinara, and had ourselves a wonderful dinner.

Clean concrete!

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Originally uploaded by somegoodgoing

Our back patio was disgusting. The concrete was so discolored it was really affecting my desire to sit outside. It was a shame since I like our patio otherwise. So, when our neighbor pointed out that Big Lots had pressure washers on sale for cheap we picked up the last one in the city at that price and pressure washed the patio. Th e before and after is the image for this post. Before is obviously on the right. It's now nice and clean!

TONS of new good going!

My goodness. K and I have been so busy we haven't had time to update the blog recently. We'll try and be better about it.

So here is a list of things we've been up to in the last few weeks!

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• A baseball game for a friends birthday
• A visit from K's mom
• A visit from K's sister and her family
  
• A visit from a NY friend to see a local friend's concert
• A baseball game for K's birthday
  
• A trip to the zoo

Whew! That's a LOT of going, let me tell you!

A trip to Graeter's

K and I went to Graeter's Ice Cream who have the bestest ice cream on the planet. Since we are both watching what we eat, we shared a cup of strawberry chocolate chip ice cream which is the bestest flavor of the bestest ice cream on the planet. It was hard not to get another scoop but we prevailed!

Big kids!

We decided to take advantage of the snow and have some fun! Fortunately K made me call around before we headed out the door. We called ELEVEN stores before we found one that had sleds. When we got there it didn't look like they were going to have sleds for very long either. We picked up a couple of sleds and headed for the sledding hill at Scioto Park.

We got really lucky and found a parking spot right as we pulled in. We headed over to the hill and surveyed the scene. There were a ton of kids and parents all over the place. There are two sledding runs and a walkway up the hill in the center. Unfortunately, people were being stupid and not walking back up the walkway but back up the hill. So you were always running the chance of killing someone, including yourself, on your way down the hill.

After several runs alone and a couple of team runs we were done. Wet and tired and done. We headed back to the car and as we were getting close K decided she wanted to make snow angels. So we found some blank snow and made some snow angels. You have to see this photo. It's CLASSIC.

Snow Days!

All of the local news stations were feverishly talking about

a blizzard. As M and I pondered over the actual definition of blizzard, we realized it didn't matter ~ we were getting a lot of snow and the winds were really blowing. We got anywhere from 15-20 inches in two days and drifts up to 3 feet. We got on our gear and walked out of our neighborhood to the nearest major street just to see how things were going. There were a few SUVs driving around but it didn't look too bad. Of course, the snow wasn't going to stop for another few hours so more was coming.

My gear consisted of pulling out snow pants that I haven't worn in years. This losing weight thing has its advantages! Hat, mittens, scarf, long johns. We felt like kids again! I know some people hate snow but I love it and it was beautiful. Of course we had to take lots of pictures. One of my favorites is this one: snow covering the malibu lights along our front walkway. We took this right before we went to bed. The snow had stopped but the world seemed quiet and still.

Indoor Triathlon

M and I have been working hard to get in shape. We have been eating better and working out. So when our gym advertised an indoor triathlon, we decided to go for it. Well, I should say M really wanted to do it and it took some convincing to get me to do it. He called me at work and said he was going to register, did I want him to register me. I told him I didn't care. Honestly, I didn't want to be the one that made the decision. Needless to say, he registered us.

Since we were already running on a regular basis, we figured we didn't need to do much training for the running part. We had gone swimming and biking at least once ~ pathetic really ~ so we figured we could just tough it out.

Well, wow! We did it today! We swam our hardest, biked as hard as we could and then ran on the treadmill. I was so overwhelmed with how I felt about it. I am so proud of M and he has said he is so proud of me. There is no way that one year ago ~ shoot, six months ago ~ I would have ever thought we could do this. We won't know our results for a few days but I think we would tell you "we win!" That was some good going.

Nothing but the kitchen sink

We have been wanting to put in a new kitchen faucet for some time. I bought M a new Moen faucet for his birthday in October. Well, last weekend, the old contractor special white sink sprayer broke. When we turned on the sink, the water would leak from the sprayer. As long as we were at it, we hated the sink. It was only 5.5 inches deep - I don't think they even make sinks this shallow anymore! Just one more non-standard thing in our condo. It was also a sloped bottom so that when you set a glass in it, it would slide into the drain. So we bought a flat bottom 8 inch sink. Yeah! We also bought new pieces of all of the plumbing under the sink in case we broke anything or just didn't want to put the old stuff back.

Someone told us that for our first plumbing project it would take 3 trips to the hardware store - remember that fact for later. We started around 11am to make sure we would be able to finish it that day. Andrew Dan Jumbo (Take Home Handyman) estimated 3-4 hours for a new sink and faucet so I figured about 10 :) We started off by turning off the water and unhooking all of the plumbing. Some good going so far. We took the sink clips off and started prying the sink up. So far so good. There was a little extra caulking between the sink and backsplash that pulled up a tiny bit of the backsplash - oh well, it will give me a reason to do the countertops later. The sink came out - I was so proud! We started to assemble the new faucet to the new sink. Our first trip to the hardware store was to purchase nylon spacers as the faucet was designed to attach to both the sink and the countertop (somewhere between 1/2 and one inch) and not just the 1/20th of an inch sink. We were successful on our first trip. More good going. Continuing on! We got the faucet, the sprayer and the soap dispenser in. We worked the plumbers putty around the sink and placed in it! So far so good! We had some trouble with the clips but eventually got them in. Of course the garbage disposal had to be non-standard so we couldn't put the new clean drain in, we had to put the old one back, after some trouble getting it out of the old sink and some heavy duty scrubbing. We thought we had purchased everything we needed but we bought the wrong plastic pipe. Trip number 2 to the hardware store. OK, looks good. We got everything put together, the sink worked, the pipes didn't leak, the disposal worked but everything is much quieter than it used to be so that makes me a little nervous. I am leaving the dish pan underneath just in case ;)

In case you were counting, we only made 2 trips to the hardware store. I would call it a success!

Bodies

M bought us tickets to Bodies the Exhibition. It was very cool. I was a little nervous about whether or not I was going to think it was gross and wasn't sure if we should eat dinner before or after we went. We opted to eat first for time constraint reasons and it wasn't a problem. It was very interesting. It had a slightly gross quality to it but the interesting-ness of it out-weighed any grossness.

We took about an hour to walk through and got to see all of our internal organs etc. M and I are both very glad that we don't smoke and encourage anyone who does to take this opportunity to quit. They explained that for each pack of cigarettes that you smoke, you lose 2.5 hours of your life expectancy. They had a large glass box for people to discard their packs and there were lots of them lying in the bottom.

We were amazed by our veins and arteries as well as some of the ways they displayed the bodies to really give you a 3-D view into how we are put together. We saw an appendix and joked that I don't have one!

If you have a chance to go, I recommend it.
http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/